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Life is filled with Beautiful Encounters. We unexpectedly experience people, thoughts, and circumstances that shape, and mold us. I’d like to propose that every encounter, seemingly pleasant or unpleasant, is in essence beautiful.

2.16.2017

I have been thinking a lot about passing on positive vibes to Jaxen. I recently returned back to school, and being that my major is Children and Youth Studies, the topic of the emotional state of our children is something that is discussed daily. I am sure that we all are aware that our state of mind definitely affects our little ones, but I couldn't help but think of those very real moments that it is extremely hard to be positive.

I'm sure you all said amen for that one. You know, when it's only 1 am but its actually the 7th time that your child woke up to breastfeed. Or how about when you finally get them down for a nap, pour a glass of wine, and turn on Netflix, just to hear a loud yell coming from the next room? How can we stay positive in these moments?

If there is one thing that I have learned in relationships, it is that expectations leave room for disappointment. It is definitely hard to remain positive when you're experiencing disappointment. Lets kiss expectations goodbye, and go with the flow, that way our state of mind is not disrupted when things don't go as we expect. So the next time you put baby down for a nap with plans to sip some wine and catch up on Netflix, you wont be so disheartened when he or she wakes up as soon as your butt hits the sofa.

2. Search for the good

It is so easy to see and focus on the negative. There are many things that happen during the day that can throw us over the edge. Baby fell down again, had a poop explosion, or ripped up that important document that you needed to fax within the next few minutes. Although these events can become so stressful that they cause a vein pop, there is still good to be found in each situation. Baby may have fell, but thank God they are still alive and healthy. Yes, this is the forth blowout this week, but there are children who struggle in that area. I'm sure their parents would kill to clean up a blowout. And although that paper is ripped to pieces, it can be reprinted, and baby didn't swallow the document.

I have found that finding the good in every situations helps me to remain positive.

3. Take a moment for yourself

The day can be pretty chaotic. Running around, changing diapers, cooking dinner, going to work or school. Chaos does not leave space for positive vibes. It is ok and necessary to take a moment for yourself. Even if that moment is in the bathroom, looking in the mirror, and speaking positive affirmations over yourself and the day.This time is necessary. When you take the time to reboot, you allow yourself to let go of the negative and dance back into your positive space.

4. Live in the now

Negativity is pretty sneaky. Something as simple as not living in the moment can allow negativity to enter your home. Instead of thinking of all the things you wish you could do, or would rather be doing, focus on the joys of the now. Whatever moment that you are in, you will not have the opportunity to live in again. So the text message, the social media, the overwhelming thought of what you will cook later, and the cleaning that you need to do can wait. The now is more important.

5. Find community

It is so important to have others who are in the same walk of life as you to talk to. There is nothing like relating with others. Its calming and refreshing to know that others are experiencing the same situations as you because it is so easy to think that you're in this alone. When I find myself falling into a negative space, things like mommy and me classes, or visiting my sister in love and nephew are what brings me back to a positive space. Positive vibes increase when you find people that are there for you, and willing to walk with you.

I hope these 5 tips to positive parenting help you to be the best parent that you can be!

2.07.2017

“After looking at the
way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live:
Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you
have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human
lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the
capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s
God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood
over how long we might live.”

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 MSG

Instant conviction. You see most of the
time I am far from living in and enjoying the moment. I'm pretty sure I
spend 99% of the day dreaming about tomorrow. My thought process looks a little
something like this;

" When I graduate,
and get a good job, I can't wait to move. I'll get this car, Jax will be old enough
to go to this school. Tomorrow I need to edit that blog. Saturday I need to go
to the grocery store. I can't wait to finish school. What's for dinner? Am I
done with school yet?"

Talk about not living
in the moment! I'm pretty sure most of you can agree with me. Our minds are
naturally running and thinking about what's to come.

But how can we learn to live in the moment?

In the opening scripture,
Solomon gives us some tips. I am trying to embed these tips in my heart and
mind. Let's jump right in!

After looking at the
way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live:
Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you
have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human
lot.

Take Care Of Yourself.
Have A Good Time. Have you ever met someone who could have a good time with any
circumstance given to them? Maybe you are that person, and if you aren't I'm
sure you can't think of someone who pretty much lives for the moment. I don't
think it's a coincidence that take care of yourself and have a good time are
listed back to back.

When we think of
taking care of ourselves, our minds probably go right to things like a massage,
manicure, a haircut, or buying ourselves something nice.

We need to consider
adding living in the moment, and having a good time to that list!

When we choose to live
in the moment, and enjoy whatever is happening we are in return taking care of
ourselves. We are pushing the stress and worries of tomorrow out the door and
welcoming in peace, and happiness.

Now for some of you,
the next part struck a nerve. Make the most of my job? MY job? I know you can come up
with 10,000 reasons not to make the most of your job. And for all of you out
there holding down a household, I know that can be overwhelming and stressful too.

I believe that Solomon
knew how tough jobs can be, no matter what you do in life, that is why he took
the time to remind us to enjoy what we do. We can't possibly enjoy our jobs, no
matter what they are, if we aren't living in the moment. Let's try to live a
life where we find joy in what we do, I believe it's more about having an
attitude of gratitude. Let's make the most of what we have!

Yes, we should make
the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it,
accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals
out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might
live.”

Delighting: take great pleasure in.

We should take great
pleasure in what God has given us. Our home, our kids, our jobs, our cars, our
friends, our family, OUR LIFE!

ITS GODS GIFT

God deals out joy in
the PRESENT, THE NOW

God deals out joy in
the PRESENT, THE NOW

God deals out joy in
the PRESENT, THE NOW

Have you been lacking
joy? Chances are you aren't living in and appreciating the now! (and guys trust me as I type
these words are slapping me in the face, no judgment here.)

So, friends, as I am
growing and learning, and as I challenge myself, I want to challenge you guys
too!!

This is obviously not
an overnight change, but we can start somewhere.

1.18.2017

You can't pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.- Unknown

For the last 6 months, I have struggled with the idea of self-care.
My mind and heart were constantly reminding me that I needed to do everything
in my power to put my husband, Jaxen, and the home first. The idea of wanting a
5-minute break to just scroll on Instagram seemed selfish to me. Wanting an hour to blog, or work on projects made me
feel terrible!

How dare I want time
to myself.

I mean I was blessed with this amazing baby boy, home, and
husband. Why am I finding myself not wanting to dedicate every second of my day
to them? Am I becoming self-absorbed?
Maybe I’m being selfish.

These are the thoughts that followed the little nudge to
just take some time to relax.

To be completely transparent, I was becoming tired. I felt worn out, and drained.
The joyful, peaceful Jo was becoming an old grumpy hag. I found myself being extremely
irritable, and just downright unhappy.

What was missing? What
was going wrong?

Self Care

Let’s break that down;

Self: a person's
essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as
the object of introspection or reflexive action.

Care: the
provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and
protection of someone or something.

So, self-care can be defined as providing what is necessary
for the health, welfare, and protection of a person’s essential being.

I realized that in order for Jaxen, and Marquise to be happy,
and for our home to function, I needed to be in a good space. I mean come on, it’s
a well-known fact that your babies can feel your emotions, and react to them.

It was time to kiss the guilt goodbye, and take
care of myself. Something as simple as taking a bath for more than five
minutes, going to the coffee shop with friends, or even painting my nails, really
lifted my spirits.

I realized that I needed to do everything necessary to
maintain the health and welfare of my body,
mind, and spirit.

& ladies and gentlemen, I am feeling my BEST.

So, I encourage you all to take care of yourselves. It is not
selfish to take a minute to breath in, and out. It is actually selfish to carry
on through life not taking care of yourself.

How can we be happy and healthy parents, wives, husbands, friends,
if we aren’t happy with ourselves? Take some time today to inhale, and exhale.

1.03.2017

Hey y'all ! Once again, happy
new year! I can't even believe how quickly 2016 came and left. There is
something that has been on my heart (since last year haha) and now that the
hustle and bustle of the holiday season is over, let's talk about the P
word.

Purpose.

After becoming a mom,
the idea of living my life to the fullest potential has never left my thoughts,
my heart, or my spirit. I have been seeking God like never before, and while it
isn't always easy, trying to making time to hear him speak.

I know for a fact that
we all have a purpose embedded in us. Most of us have an idea of what it is
that we are meant to be doing in life.

These ideas may be
pounding at the doors of our hearts, or may just resurface here and there. No
matter what way they come to you, please, please, please don't ignore them.

At this point I'm
convinced that with every dream, idea, or calling fear is waiting right around
the corner, and who walks hand and hand with fear? Mr. Excuse.

Way too often we let our fear of failure, and excuses enslave our purpose. While on this journey to
discover my purpose and walk it out, I began reading Jeremiah. This scripture
could not have come at a better time, and I've been meditating on it for the
last few days.

“Before I shaped you
in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy
plans for you: A prophet to the nations— that’s what I had in mind for you.””

Jeremiah 1:5 MSG

Now this scripture is one that I have read over 100 times, but it never meant as much to
me as it does now. We can find courage in knowing that although some of us are
still searching for our purpose, God already set us apart, for the exact
calling that is over us.

Appointed: Decided
before hand; designated

Come on now! Before we
were born; God decided beforehand that we were called to do more than just live
an ordinary life.

I know you're probably
thinking "Who me?" And to be completely honest, so was I! We aren't
the only ones, let's look at how Jeremiah responds.

Haha. I literally
laughed out loud when I read this, because that was my exact response.

When God reveals your
purpose to you, it's normal, human to say "Who me? I'm just Jenny from the
block" or "Uh you have to be kidding me I'm 50 years old!" I
think that sometimes we can beat ourselves up for not living a life of certainty regarding every single situation. I'm glad that this story was recorded to show that
reassurance from God is right around the corner from doubt; doubt that is
completely normal to have.

“GOD told me, “Don’t
say, ‘I’m only a boy.’ I’ll tell you where to go and you’ll go there. I’ll tell
you what to say and you’ll say it. Don’t be afraid of a soul. I’ll be right
there, looking after you.” GOD ’s Decree.”

Jeremiah 1:7-8 MSG

Man, God always shuts
it DOWN! Let's do a little exercise. Whatever doubts that you have about your
purpose, or whatever fears you may have about even digging to see what your
purpose is, let's replace that with Jeremiah's response "I'm only a boy."

Here's mine, don't
laugh I'm being vulnerable here:

"God told me, don't say I'm
only Jo. A woman still working on a college degree after all these years. A
woman who came from a broken home. A woman who hasn't mastered proper English
101. A woman that feels like her blog probably isn't reaching many
people." My list can go on and on.

Let's agree to stop
speaking, thinking and focusing on negative things. When we find our purpose, or
for those of you who already know what their purpose is, God will tell us where
to go, and what to say. We shouldn't be afraid of a soul. Not even our own. He
is and always will be with us.

Trust me I don't have
it all figured out, but focusing on this scripture sure is helping. On this
journey that we are all on, finding and living out all that is in store for us,
I'm praying that we will stop letting our fears stop us from exploring all that
we are destined to be.

1.01.2017

"I'm convinced that the tradition of setting New Year goals was only created to remind us of how inconsistent we all are. Now where is the fun
in that? " -Jo M.

It's that time of year again for, let's say it together " New
Year, New Me." Now I'm not going to sit here and pretend that this
slogan has not left my lips the last few years. As the year comes to an end
most of us can attest to the fact that the pressure to set new goals for
ourselves is breathing down our backs. Goals that can only be
"achieved" on January 1st and any day after that.

It's time to end thisterribletradition. Out with that old, and
in with new.

This year I am not making a silly resolution that I won't even be
striving to keep by March. If I didn't work out faithfully in 2016, a new year
won't change that. If I didn't save ten million dollars, eat less burgers, and
gain a six pack in 2016, the new year won't change that either.

Why do we put these expectations on ourselves? Sitting and waiting
for January first to do everything that we could've been doing anyway? I'm
taking on improving my life and lifestyle one day at a time!

The secret to mastering the goals that you have set for yourself
is to take baby steps and remain

consistent. Let's say you want to lose weight, instead of waiting
until the New Year and starving yourself by replacing every meal with a
salad, start slowly today!

Instead of waiting until the new year and depriving yourself of
that handbag or cologne you've been dying to purchase, start small today. Open
a savings account, and put away $20 a check and watch that account grow!

Starting small instead of going cold turkey to honor the New Year
tradition is a game changer folks.

I'm changing the game.

A personal goal of mine is living fearless! I want to take more
risk, and trust that if I fail or succeed God will use my victory, or loss for
his and my good. Instead of me hawking over the calendar waiting to become thisfierce daredevil,
I've been taking steps for the last few months to achieve my goal.

I am no longer pressuring myself to come up with a New Year
resolution, just because it's a "tradition."I'm taking my life goals and
setting them NOW!

So, let's sayGOODBYEto that useless pressure and short
lived excitement, and let's be all that we can be starting today!

If you dare to be a rule breaker, join me on thisnew wave. I would love to hear some
of yourRIGHT NOWresolutions in the comments
below.